Multiple head electric lantern



Oct. 3, 1950 H. F. EMIGKH .i 2,524,435

MULTIPLE HEAD ELECTRIC LANTERN Filed April l, 1946 INVENTQ. j/QWL/E17/mab BY L/n/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MULTIPLE HEAD ELECTRICLANTERN Harry F. Emigh, Hutchinson, Kans. Application April 1, 1946,Serial No. 658,615

4 Claims.

This invention relates to electric lanterns and one of its chief objectsis to produce a multiple head lantern, that is a double-ended lanternhaving a plurality of electric lamp bulbs which can be energizedseparately or concurrently at one or both ends of the lantern.

Another object of the invention. is to provide heads of the generalcharacter mentioned which are quickly detachable and can be placed oneither end of the lantern body.

A further object of the invention is to provide a quick-detachabletransparent hood or housing for the head, said hood or housing being ofany desired color depending upon the use of the lantern.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a detachable headhaving a self-com tained switch unit so that the proper connections areautomatically established for circuit closing purposes when the head ispositioned on either end of a lantern.

Another object is to produce a bail mounting of such character that thelantern may be reversed with either end in suspended position, the bailhaving an adjustable connection so that it may be lengthened orshortened, swinging or non-swinging.

With the general objects named in View and others are will hereinafterappear, the invention consists in certain novel and useful features ofconstruction and organization of parts as hereinaiter described andclaimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is tobe had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a sideelevation of a lantern embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a iragmental central vertical section on an enlarged scalethrough one of the removable heads of the lantern, showing a portion ofthe lantern body and battery.

Figure`3 is a fragmentary cross-section through the head at right anglesto Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of a head.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the switch and circuit completingconnections mounted in the lantern head.

Figure 6 is a fragmental face view of the bail attaching connections.

Figure '7 is a plan view of one of the spacing washers used incombination with the bail suspension when it is desired to have aswinging lantern, the construction shown in Figures 1 and 6 being ofnon-swinging type.

In the said drawing, where like reference characters identifycorresponding parts in all of the (Cl. 24U-10.63)

2 figures, I is a lantern body of any desired shape and containing a,dry cell or battery 2, provided with positive and negative terminals 3and dat both of its ends and insulated from the body of the lantern. Thebody I is provided with outwardly projecting lugs 5 which are adapted toreceive the ends of legs 6 of a supporting stand or ring l, said legsbeing clamped in position by means of clamp screws 8. The lugs 5 areplaced in multiple adjacent both ends of the lantern as shown so thatthe lantern body may be reversed, either end down.

In order to suspend the lantern body, a pair of spaced elongatedbrackets 5l are positioned at diametrically opposite points, saidbrackets being longitudinally slotted as at lil to receive suspensionbolts II. The brackets along their opposite faces are corrugated as atI2, while non-corrugated surfaces i3 are left along the opposite sidesof the slot It on the outer faces of said brackets for a purpose whichwill hereinafter appear.

rThe bolt II is provided with a head I4 which is corrugated to interlockwith the corrugated inner surfaces of the brackets 9 at any position oflongitudinal adjustment for providing a long or short bail I5 inrelation to the top of the 1antern body. The bail I5 has corrugatedheads I6 for cooperative engagement with the outer corrugations of thebrackets 9 and is held in locked position by thumb nuts I'I. With aconstruction as above described a nonswinging bail is provided. When itis desired to have a swinging bail, the ends of the threaded bolts I Iare flattened at one side to interlock with flattened sides I8 inwashers I 9. These washers are disposed on both sides of the bail headsI6, to respectively hold the corrugated surfaces of brackets 9 and headsI6 from contact and to provide a non-oscillating surface for abutment bythe clamp nut Il' so that said nut shall not loosen in service.

v By preference, the lantern body and its removable bulb and switchcarrying heads are detachably connected in any quickly operable manner,as by providing the opposite ends of the body. I with a plurality ofpairs of outwardly projecting lugs 20 to interlock with correspondinginwardly projecting lugs ZI formed on annular removable lantern headscomprising closed ends 22 and shouldered portions 23. The heads arelocked in position through engagement of a hole 22a in the body of thelantern by a pin 23a projecting from the lantern head.

Projecting outwardly from the outer face 22 of the lantern head are aplurality of bulb sockets 24 for receiving lamp bulbs, each head in themetal frame 45 form of the invention here shown having three bulbsrespectively numbers 26, 21 and 28. Fitted down against the innner faceof the end 22 is a suitable control switch having insulating disks 29and 30, held together and locked to the lantern head by a plurality ofrivets 3|.

The disk 39 is counter-bored to form a pair of annular intersectingchambers or cavities respectively receiving rotatable annularperipherallytoothed insulating disks or gears 32 and 33, the open sideof said chambers being closed by the disk 29 as shown. The gear orpinion 33 is keyed to a conducting operating shaft 34, one end of saidshaft projecting through and in circuitclosing contact with the head 22,and having its outer end equipped with an operating knob 35. Rotationimparted to pinion 33 through the handle 35 and shaft 34 effectsrotation of the larger disk 32.

Embedded substantially flush with the outer face of the insulating disk39 is a metal conducting ring 36 in circuit closing Contact with theterminal 3 of the battery 2, said circuit being completed to the shellof the lamp sockets through shaft 34 thence to the head 22 integrallyformed with the lamp sockets, or, obviously, the terminal 3 of thebattery may be otherwise grounded to the lantern body and removablehead.

In order to provide a suitably controlled circuit to energize the lamps,say, to initially illuminate bulb 25, then successively bulbs 28 and 21in parallel therewith, the rotatable disk 39 is molded or otherwiseintegrally formed with a central conducting contact 31 in engagementwith the battery terminal Il. The member 31 is formed with threeoutwardly radiating spring fingers or switch arms 38 arrangedrespectively in positions corresponding to 120 and 240, that is,equi-spaced, 120 apart. The arms 38 are adapted to successively engagecontacts 39, 40 and 4|, which are embedded in and integrally formed withlamp terminals 42, t3 and 44 of bulbs 26, 21 and 28, al1 carried by theinsulating disk 29. Assuming that contact 39 is at 0, then contacts 4Dand 4| are respectively positioned at 130 and 260. The contacts 39, 46and 4| are each approximately 10 in length so that as the arms 38 sweepover the contacts, a circuit is first completed through contact 39 tolight bulb 26. While contact is still maintained at 39, another` arm 38engages contact 40 to light bulb 23; and while said first two arms 38are still maintaining circuits, the third arm 38 engages contact 4| tolight the third bulb 21. Continued movement of the arms 38, see Figuresuccessively extinguishes bulb 26, then 28 and finally 21. The switch isnow in position for repetition of its operating cycle.

In order to provide means for the protection of the bulbs and at thesame time to provide means for the display of varying colors dependingupon the purpose of the signal lamp, a quickdetachable hood or housing45 of transparent plastic or the like may house either or both groups ofbulbs. The hood is secured in a rectangular fitted against the outerface of the lantern head 22 and having a pair of opposite extensionfingers 41 embracing the offset portion of the head. The fingers 41 areformed with bayonet slots 48 as shown to engage pins 49 projecting fromthe lantern head. The hood is locked in position by means of anextension flange 50 overlying the head 22 and having a downwardextension carrying a pin 5| for engagement in an opening in the end of aspring finger 52 secured to the lantern head.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced aconstruction embodying all of the features of advantage set forth asdesirable, and while I have described and claimed the preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that I reserve the right to allchanges within the spirit and scope of the appended claims,

I claim:

1. In an electric lantern, the combination with a body portion having anopen end adapted to receive a battery, of a head removably closing theopen end of said body, an insulating disk secured to said head andhaving an outer arcuate battery contact on one of its faces and having acavity formed with an opening through the face having the batterycontact, a second battery contact rotatable within the cavity andexposed through the opening thereof, a plurality of lamp socketselectrically connected to the outer battery contact, a plurality ofswitch arms electrically connected to the inner rotatable batterycontact, and a plurality of fixed contacts within the cavity, one foreach lamp socket, for engagement by said switch arms.

2. In an electric lantern, the combination with a body portion having anopen end adapted to receive a battery, of a head removably closing theopen end of said body, an insulating disk secured to said head andhaving an outer arcuate battery contact on one of its faces and having acavity formed with an opening through the face having the batterycontact, a second battery contact rotatable within the cavity andexposed through the opening thereof, a plurality of lamp socketselectrically connected to the outer battery contact, a plurality ofswitch arms electrically connected to the inner rotatable batterycontact, and a plurality of fixed contacts within the cavity, one foreach lamp socket, positioned for successive engagement by said switcharms.

3. In an electric lantern, the combination with a body portion having anopen end adapted to rcceive a battery, of a head removably closing theopen end of said body, a plurality of lamp sockets carried by the head,an insulating disk fitting fiatwise against the inner side of the head,a plurality of lamp contacts carried by the insulating disk and havingone end exposed in the lamp sockets, the other ends of said contactsbeing exposed on the opposite side of the disk, a second disk fittingatwise on the rst disk and provided with a counterbore forming a cavityfor said lastidentified contact ends, said second disk having an openingfrom the cavity into the lantern body, a rotatable electricalnon-conducting disk dis posed in the cavity, an electrical conductingelement carried by the disk and having arms to close circuits throughthe contacts within the cavity, said conducting element extendingoutwardly through the cavity opening, and means to rotate saidnon-conducting disk.

4. In an electric lantern, the combination with a body portion having anopen end adapted to receive a battery, of a head removably closing theopen end of said body, a plurality or lamp sockets carried by the head,an insulating disk fitting atwise against the inner side ol the head, aplurality of lamp contacts carried by the insulating disk and having oneend exposed in the lampsockets, the other ends of said contacts bein'gexposed on the opposite side of the disk, a second disk fitting flatwiseon the first disk and provided with a counterbore forming a cavity forsaid last-identified contact ends, said second disk having Aan openingfrom the cavity into' the lan- REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record in the le of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number K Name Date Croxton Feb. 19, 1918Humber May 2, 1922 Saager Mar. 17, 1925V Webb July 20, 1926 SchwingerDec, 25, 1934 Wiley Sept. 8, 1936 Pixley Jan. 31, 1939 Baird Feb, 20,1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date England of 1909

